


A Working Relationship

by Noteventhat (Facialteeth)



Series: Rarepairs [6]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec's POV, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Downworlder Politics, First Meetings, Flustered Alec Lightwood, Head of the Institute Alec Lightwood, High Warlock Lorenzo Rey, M/M, Planned First Dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:06:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25033672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Facialteeth/pseuds/Noteventhat
Summary: Alec Lightwood asked their new High Warlock, Lorenzo Rey, to come into his office. They stepped off on the wrong foot initially but by the end of the meeting, Alec was pretty sure he had a dated planned.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Lorenzo Rey
Series: Rarepairs [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915978
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	A Working Relationship

Being Head of the Institute meant that Alec frequently pulled all nighters. He would stay up all night doing paperwork he pushed off, working on a new problem he’d been presented with or any number of other things that could stop him from going to bed on time. It wasn’t new for Alec to have problems that worried him enough to interrupt his sleep but this new problem that had landed itself on Alec’s desk?

Well, it was a little tricker to deal with than the run of the mill issues he dealt with on a day to day basis. See, they had a new High Warlock in New York and along with that came problems or things Alec thought might be problems, eventually. It figured the moment Alec was put in charge, they had gotten a new one. Alec hadn’t even interacted with Magnus Bane that much but at the very least, he knew who he was. He’d been able to look in Magnus' file and get a feel for who he was. He’d known that Magnus was a good representative for his people, something Alec respected. He'd known that Magnus was willing to work with the Clave. He'd known he could probably call on Magnus when it involved his people or the safety of New York in general.

But their new High Warlock, Lorenzo Rey, Alec knew absolutely nothing about. He’d never heard of Lorenzo. There was barely anything in his file. He didn’t have any previous interactions with the Clave. Alec had no clue who Lorenzo was or what he stood for. He didn’t know if he’d be willing to cooperate, if the Institute needed help. He didn’t know if he’d accept help, should a problem arise in the New York Downworld. He didn’t know if Lorenzo was one to lie and hide things and that was something that worried Alec greatly.

Alec knew he was a chronic over thinker but even considering that, he was pretty sure this was something worth worrying about. If Lorenzo Rey was a warlock who was not willing to cooperate with them, then that would be on Alec. He was the Head of the Institute now. It was his job to make them cooperate, in the eyes of the Clave at least. If Lorenzo was someone who was willing to cooperate, well that would make things a lot easier for Alec and if he wasn't, the Clave would feel like Alec was failing in his new position already.

Maybe, Lorenzo and him would get along really well and Alec was worrying about nothing. Maybe, they wouldn’t and Alec's worrying was completely warranted. Maybe, Lorenzo would walk in and spit in his face and Alec would have to find a way to deal with that professionally. Regardless, Lorenzo had agreed to come meet him. Alec kept reminding himself of that. That had to be a good sign, right? Lorenzo even agreeing to come had to mean part of him was willing to work with Alec. That had to be what it meant.

As Alec waited, he took a second to go over the incident report that had been thrown at him, the reason he'd even asked Lorenzo to come in to meet with him in the first place. The whole thing had happened a few days ago. It was a small simple report that didn’t have much for Alec to need to look over but he looked anyway, refreshing himself with what sparse information he had.

A young warlock had been found in an alleyway by one of Alec’s late night crews. Their report claimed the warlock had seen them and tried to run the moment he had realized they were shadowhunters. They assumed the warlock was trying to hide something or doing something horribly illegal, though their report didn't explain why they'd jumped to that instantly. They had run after him. The warlock had fallen, somehow. The report claimed the warlock tripped but his injuries had been bad enough for the warlock to be sent to the Spiral Labyrinth for healing. Unless he'd just happened to trip into a bed of nails, Alec didn't understand how he'd fallen that hard organically. 

Alec had tried to get the warlock to talk to him or at least give him a statement on what had happened but he’d refused. He was young. He’d probably been told to refuse, which didn’t make Alec’s job any easier. Alec didn't really blame the warlock for being scared to speak out but if no one was willing to say anything, that left Alec in a very hard place. A place where he had to believe his crew, who he was pretty sure were not telling the truth.

So, he’d asked Lorenzo to come speak to him. As High Warlock, Alec knew Lorenzo had heard about it. The only question was if Lorenzo would be willing to speak to him about it. 

The even bigger question was if Lorenzo would be willing to speak to him and put in a report on the matter, so Alec had some kind of proof that there was another side to the story.

Alec put the report down and sighed as he stood up. He decided to go get himself a glass of water before Lorenzo showed up, if only so he could walk around for a second and not work himself up even more worrying. Of course, in the time it took for Alec to do that Lorenzo had shown up and been escorted to Alec’s office, only to find it empty and him nowhere to be seen.

Talk about stepping off on the wrong foot. 

Alec held out his hand to Lorenzo but Lorenzo only eyed it coolly before meeting his gaze with an equally as icy expression. He didn't move to take his hand. “It’s rather rude of you to call me here and not even take the time to greet me when I arrive.” Lorenzo said, his words snapping.

“I know, I apologize.” Alec said, dropping his hand as he moved to open his office door to let them in. His mouth was dry even though he'd just drank a whole glass of water. For all the worrying he'd done, he could have at least tried not to give Lorenzo a reason to dislike him right off the bat. “I didn’t expect you so suddenly-” He tried to explain.

“I arrived when you asked me to.” Lorenzo responded darkly, cutting Alec off before he could even finish his sentence.

Alec swallowed unconsciously. “I apologize.” He repeated, trying to think of what he could possibly say to get them back on track and fix what he'd already messed up. “Can I offer you anything to drink? Water or-” 

“No,” Lorenzo said before Alec could even finish saying what he had to offer, which wasn’t much to a warlock who could summon whatever he wanted Alec supposed. 

“Right-” Alec said, almost to himself. “Come in,” He said despite the fact that Lorenzo had already done so. Alec closed his office door behind them, hoping no one would barge in to bother them in the middle of their meeting. Alec had requested no one do so but that didn’t mean no one would.

Alec had already been late and Lorenzo clearly wasn’t impressed with him so far. The last thing he needed was for someone to interrupt them. He could just imagine how thrilled Lorenzo would be about that. “I suppose you know what I asked you to talk to me about.” Alec said as he walked around his desk to sit down, trying to compose himself and shake of any nervousness he still had. Clearly, Lorenzo wasn’t one for pleasantries, so Alec figured he’d jump right into business. 

“Your people attacked an innocent warlock.” Lorenzo said, his eyes tight as he took in Alec’s reaction to his harsh words. 

Alec simply nodded. “Right, exactly.” He moved to pull out the report he’d been given, noticing that Lorenzo’s face changed for just a second. He looked surprised, a little hesitant and as caught off guard as Alec had been moments before.

He looked like he’d expected Alec to disagree with him and not be so ready to accept the fault on behalf of his people. 

Alec found the report and turned it, so Lorenzo could read the small paragraph that had been written about the incident. There were hardly any details. He’d been told where it happened, what time, the people who’d been there and that they’d all ‘followed protocol exactly’. 

“You can see how much illuminating information I was given about the situation.” Alec said, clearly sarcastic. Alec gave Lorenzo a moment to skim the report before he kept talking, “The warlock, ah-” Alec looked to find the warlock's name among his other paperwork. That also had been hard for Alec to find because his crew hadn’t written it. Either, they hadn’t known the warlock's name or they hadn’t wanted Alec to know. 

“Madran.” Lorenzo murmured. 

“Yeah, Madran.” Alec nodded, a little embarrassed he hadn’t remembered it off the top of his head. He wouldn’t blame Lorenzo for taking that the wrong way but he didn’t seem as offended as he had by Alec’s minor infractions before. Instead, he was looking at Alec carefully. 

“Madran wouldn’t talk to me- I don’t blame him either. I’m not sure I’d want to but I was hoping you would.” Lorenzo stared at him without speaking for a long moment, so Alec continued. “I was hoping you’d file a report.” He said, more bluntly. 

“I suspect- ” Alec said, choosing his words very carefully. “-that Madran was not to blame for what happened but I can do nothing with that. I need proof someone complained. So, I’d like you to make a report and…” Alec trailed off. He waved his hands vaguely. “-tell me what happened and if my crew was at fault, I was hoping you’d be as explicit about that as possible.” 

Alec moved to search in his paperwork again before he pulled out a form. They really weren’t supposed to give it to downworlders to fill out. They were for Alec’s people to complain about internal issues but… “I also hope-” Alec murmured as he pushed the paper across to Lorenzo. “That we could pretend you came here and requested that paper specifically.”

Both of them stayed silent for a moment and Alec skin prickled under Lorenzo's gaze. Alec couldn’t tell how Lorenzo was feeling about this meeting or if it was going well or not. He was hard to read and with nothing else to do with his eyes or his hands, Alec felt that nervousness climb up his throat again.

As Head of the Institute, he thought that nervousness would go away the more he did this but Alec was never able to push it down completely, especially when he was talking to a downworlder, one he knew was more likely than not to dislike him before he even entered the room. 

“You asked me to come here because you want me to put in a complaint about your people?” Lorenzo asked. 

Alec frowned. “No,” He said instantly. “I asked you to come here so you could make a report on whatever happened. If that report happens to be a complaint, so be it.”

Lorenzo reached out for the paper slowly. He looked down and skimmed it quickly, seeing that it was in fact a real form Alec wanted him to fill out, before he looked up again. “Why would you go through so much trouble to have me do that?”

Alec didn’t think it had been _so much_ trouble but Lorenzo was a rather hard person to contact. Alec frowned for a brief moment. He’d been trying to stay as impartial as he could. The last thing he needed was a complaint against him, saying he was biased but Alec doubted, hoped more, that Lorenzo would not complain about him for such a thing. 

“I don’t want them here.” He said evenly. “The three of them that had been patrolling that night. I know they instigated it. I know Madran did nothing wrong. I don’t want them here anymore.” 

Softly, Alec sighed. “But I can’t do anything about it if all I have is their report. Honestly, your report might not be enough for me to do anything about it either. The Clave might not approve it but at least, I could try and the next time something happened, maybe _then_ it would be enough.”

Alec met Lorenzo’s eyes again. “I think we can agree both of our lives would be much easier without Shadowhunters like that in New York.”

Lorenzo looked to the paper in his hand before he looked up and met Alec’s eyes again. He dropped it and it fluttered a few inches to Alec’s desk. “You’ll forgive me if I have a hard time believing that’s why I’m here.” 

Alec pressed his lips for a moment. “I know-” He started slowly, not even knowing what he was going to say before it was coming out of his mouth. “-that relations between Shadowhunters and Downworlders are tense.” 

Lorenzo scoffed a little. 

Tense was perhaps not the most accurate word to use but Alec kept going regardless. “I’d like things to not be that way and at the very least, I’d like things to not be that way in my Institute. If they instigated it, I’d like it to be documented. I can’t promise anyone will listen to me but at the very least, I’d like to be able to try and a report from the High Warlock would have weight.” 

Lorenzo looked down to the paper once again and Alec moved, scrambled really, to push a pen across to him. Lorenzo picked it up after a moment and started to fill out the paper wordlessly. 

Alec couldn’t help but notice his elegant penmanship. It reminded Alec of words in a hand-bound book, something about it old and regal in a way Alec didn’t think his writing ever would be. More simply, he thought his writing was pretty but that was hardly what Alec should be thinking about right now. 

“Madran will not want to say anything officially. He doesn’t want to start trouble with the Clave. He’s young, scared.” 

Alec nodded quickly. “That’s fine. Your report means more than his anyway.” 

Lorenzo paused for a moment and looked up to Alec, raising an eyebrow softly. 

“To the Clave, I mean.” Alec said, flushing a little. “They have an obligation to take your words more seriously than a younger warlock they probably feel no incentive to cooperate with. He can do nothing for them but you do.” 

Lorenzo finished the report without another word and when he handed it over to Alec, it had exactly what Alec needed it to have written. Lorenzo was upset. Alec’s people had been at fault. As the High Warlock, he was calling for them to be punished or he’d be ‘less than likely’ to help the next time the Clave needed a portal open in New York or their wards to be worked on or any other countless thing the Clave knew they relied on the High Warlock to do.

Alec read it quickly and then, he nodded. “That’s perfect.” He said instantly, “More than perfect. That’s exactly what I need. Thank you, Lorenzo, for coming and-” Alec gestured vaguely towards the form. “You know, giving your account of what happened.” 

Alec expected Lorenzo to stand and leave instantly quickly but instead, he sat and stared at Alec for a few long moments. He didn’t seem upset with Alec anymore but still, it made Alec nervous again. He had never liked being stared at.

“You surprise me.” Lorenzo admitted after a moment, still seeming as if he was taking Alec in, waiting for Alec to say something to reveal what horrible intentions he actually had. “I’ve never met a shadowhunter so ready to scorn his own people for a warlock he doesn’t even know, if you’re telling the truth that is.”

“Well-” For a moment, Alec paused. He wasn’t sure what he could say to make Lorenzo believe him but after a moment, he settled for the truth. “I hope you feel confident someday that my intentions are good. You’re new to your position, as am I. I hope we can have a good… working relationship.” 

Lorenzo hummed but something about his expression made it seem like he was still waiting for something in Alec to change. When it didn’t, he asked, “You must be very busy, Alexander, but is there a time you’d be free to come over for a drink? I’d like to discuss that… working relationship with you.” 

Something about the way Lorenzo said made Alec feel like he was talking about something completely different than Alec had been. It made him feel like he was missing something but it also, deep in his chest, made him feel a bubble of excitement. Alec pushed that feeling down until he could ignore it.

Lorenzo just wanted to get to know him. They were working together now. It was a good idea really. “I have a meeting later today and I’m not sure how long it will run and I should probably put your report in-” Alec blushed a little, realizing he was rambling. He cleared his throat. “But I should be free tomorrow night.” 

Lorenzo nodded, looking pleased. “Tomorrow night then.” Lorenzo declared as he rose to his feet and Alec moved to follow after him. At the door, Lorenzo turned and met his eyes before reaching out to grasp his hand the way he had refused when they first met. 

His hand was tight and at the simple contact, Alec’s heart started beating faster in his chest. 

Lorenzo smirked, as if he could tell but that was stupid, wasn’t it? Of course, he couldn’t tell. “I’ll send you my address tomorrow.” Lorenzo said as he let go. “Wear something nice.” He said casually, leaving Alec to panic for a moment because he didn’t have anything nicer than what he was wearing now.

Alec nodded anyway, sounding breathless in his panic as he replied, “Okay.” 

“It’s a date,” Lorenzo said before he was turning and leaving quicker than Alec could even process his parting words. 

Alec watched as he walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner, his brain short circuiting and leaving him frozen there. That was just a saying, wasn’t it? ‘It’s a date,’ people said that all the time. That didn’t mean they really thought of it as a _date_. 

Alec had never been on a date before. He’d never had someone ask him on a date. He’d never had someone tell him to wear something nice. What did he even own that was nice? Nice enough to go meet Lorenzo at his house? Lorenzo had been dressed nicer than Alec had ever seen someone dress and he’d just been coming to the institute. What could Alec possibly wear that would be nice enough?

Alec was excited, nervous and scared. He felt like he was going to throw up all of sudden. Izzy. He needed to find Izzy because Alec was pretty sure that tomorrow night, he had a date with their new High Warlock.

Alec had been hoping they’d get along sure but he’d never even considered they’d end their first meeting with a _date_ planned. More scary than the thought of a date was the realization of how nice it sounded. Alec might throw up outside sure. He might panic and back out. He might scramble for some excuse not to go last second before he could mess it up completely but a date with Lorenzo, in theory? 

Alec hated how nice that sounded in his head. He turned and practically ran down the hallway. He needed to find Izzy. He needed to find her now because he was almost certain he had a date with Lorenzo.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no clue where this came from but I'm kind of enjoying it? I've always thought Lorenzo had a friend crush on Alec and in an AU where Magnus and Alec never met... who knows what would have happened. I don't know, I kinda think Lorenzo would have been into Alec.


End file.
